Time for a foodie post! As promised last week, brief restaurant reviews are below, my dears! Click the restaurant name for link. Eat up!!!
Haute Dish
location: Washington Ave, North Loop, Minneapolis
park: across the street in the pay lot ($5)
cost: $$$
atmosphere: comfortable, trendy, loaded up with hipsters!
cuisine: midwestern american (gourmet comfort food)
opinion: It’s cozy, warm, and a unique crowd (hipsters, mostly). The menu isn’t huge, but everything on it is spot on. The food is hearty, comfortable…chef-inspired midwestern, is sort of how I’d describe it. We had the HD Classic and the Steak and Potatoes. The HD Classic was FANTASTIC. It includes their most popular dishes… a salad that made me want to die, it was so amazing. Mac n’ Cheese (NOTHING like mac n’ cheese, but so, so amazing). And braised short rib with green beans and tater tots. I’d highly recommend getting this because you get to try so many things… share it and then get another side or entree and you’re set. Ask the servers to describe everything, because just hearing the descriptions of the food is fun. I’d DEFINITELY go back. And I’d highly recommend this one.
Union
location: Hennepin Ave, Downtown, Minneapolis
park: parking ramp on 9th below Crave
cost: $$$
atmosphere: slick, polished, trendy
cuisine: american
opinion: This place is new and popular right now, so it might be hard to get in on a weekend. We somehow snagged a reservation in their rooftop dining room. It’s all glass and has a great view. The rooftop was cold and noisy (in the winter), so if you go, sit in the main dining room. The service was excellent, the food was quite good. The menu is decent sized, and they cover a range, from salads to steaks. I’ve heard rumors of their donut holes… something about bacon and vasterbotton cheese. Sounds amazing, but I haven’t tried them. Definitely a fun place to go.
Spoonriver
location: 2nd Ave, Mill District, Minneapolis
park: street parking (metered)
cost: $$
atmosphere: modern, sparse, organic
cuisine: organic american
opinion: This place wins on location alone. It’s just across the street from the Guthrie, and a stones throw from Gold Medal Park. It’s sleek, and yet not stuffy. Bright colors, fun textures and an alternative crowd of hipster-servers make this a great spot for a casual, but tasty, breakfast, lunch or dinner. I went for brunch on a Saturday, and had eggs and sausage, because I can be boring like that sometimes, but my friend had their french toast, and it was TO DIE FOR.
Patisserie 46
location: Grand Ave, Minneapolis
park: street parking (not metered)
cost: $$
atmosphere: rustic, cozy, warm
cuisine: bakery
opinion: Another amazing brunch spot. I had their scrambled egg and spinach crepe, but one glance at the racks and racks of fresh baked breads, croissants, cakes, cookies, muffuns, soft pretzels, panatones, cakes, scones, and more told me that perhaps this was not a day to strive for healthy eating. The place was crammed with locals of the neighborhood, sipping coffee with a newspaper, feeding kiddos, or typing away on laptops. It was hard to get a table, but well worth it. Loved the food, and the tasty eats.
Bar La Grassa
location: Washington Ave, Warehouse District, Minneapolis
park: valet (only $5)
cost: $$$
atmosphere: classy, industrial, modern
cuisine: italian pasta bar
opinion: The only thing I knew about Bar La Grassa before going was that Genevieve Gorder hits it up when she’s in town (she’s a Minneapolis girl, you know?). It’s a trendy place, and I’d heard good reviews, so I checked it out on a busy Friday night with a friend. The food was great, good wine, kind of noisy, but it was an okay noisy…lots of energy, and a fun place to go with friends. Not a great date spot, though. Loved the art and the style of the place.
112 Eatery
location: 3rd Street, Warehouse District, Minneapolis
park: pay lot across the street (super spendy if there is a Twins game or concert), on the street or in a lot one block north (only $7)
cost: $$$
atmosphere: classic, warehouse, traditional, warm
cuisine: american
opinion: 112 is the sister restaurant to Bar La Grassa. James Beard Award Winner, Isaac Becker is the chef behind both these hot spots, and he really puts out a good plate. If you go to 112, do yourself a favor and get the burger. I know it sounds boring, but trust me, it’s not. There are plenty of other amazing things to try (beef tartare, anyone), but the burger is really one of the things they are best known for. This place was a fun spot for a date, though it was packed and we had to sit at the bar. Still, the food was great and I’d go back.
Trevail Kitchen & Amusements
location: Robinsdale, Minneapolis
park: street parking (not metered)
cost: $$
atmosphere: funky, fun, trendy
cuisine: um, well…
opinion: Really don’t have words to describe this place or my experience there. I went with two girlfriends, waiting an hour to get a table, and then embarked on a 2+ hour adventure. Together, we made our way through a fifteen course tasting menu (plus two bottles of wine and a cheese plate). The food was INSANE. Beyond. Each new course was surprising and delightful and unique and sometimes just plain WEIRD (one course of dessert included these frozen “pop rocks” that exploded (literally) in your mouth). It was an experience, to say the least. All the servers are chefs, and watching them work in the open kitchen is highly entertaining. Let’s just say there is dancing and singing and lots of hooting and hollering. If you haven’t been, YOU MUST GO.
Tilia
location: 43rd Street, Linden Hills, Minneapolis
park: street parking (not metered)
cost: $$
atmosphere: classy, vintage, casual
cuisine: modern american
opinion: This was another place I ventured to for brunch. Ate their cubano sandwich and nearly died. It was so good. Really loved the sparse, vintage modern look and feel of the place. Each other my brunch buddies LOVED their meals. I would definitely return to check out their dinner menu. Quite good, quite good!
